


to live in the summer sun

by SafelyCapricious



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Bullying, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 07:39:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5366825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SafelyCapricious/pseuds/SafelyCapricious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They aren’t being out and out rude, but she can hear them whispering behind their hands and they’re not trying to hide that they’re looking at her and giggling. She grits her teeth, used to this, and refuses to cry.</p>
<p>They’re Ravenclaws too. She’s not sure why that makes it worse, but it does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	to live in the summer sun

**Author's Note:**

> BIOSPECIALIST + “ARE YOU REALLY THAT SHALLOW?”
> 
> ASKED BY ILOSTTRACKOFTHINGS.
> 
> Previously posted on Tumblr.

They aren’t being out and out rude, but she can hear them whispering behind their hands and they’re not trying to hide that they’re looking at her and giggling. She grits her teeth, used to this, and refuses to cry.

They’re Ravenclaws too. She’s not sure why that makes it worse, but it does. Sixth years. The seventh years have gotten used to her since she’s in their classes now, despite being thirteen (almost fourteen!).

She looks down at her scroll for potions. She’s two assignments ahead, but she was going to reward herself for being three ahead in all her classes with re-reading her favorite set of muggle novels and – their snickering is getting louder. She sighs and rolls up her scroll, tucking it into her bag and starting to sort through the other books on her table. It only takes her a minute to pack up.

She’ll go for a walk, she thinks. Maybe out by the lake since it’s not like she’ll be safe ducking into the common room. It’s not that she thinks she’s unsafe, she just doesn’t want to deal with the whispers and the looks.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, though she still doesn’t understand why.

But it is the first time that they follow her.

She thinks they don’t, at first, and she’s taking the last turn to the exit to get to the lake when she hears them giggling again. For a moment she thinks she’s wrong, but then they slowly round the bend when she pauses and stop, waiting.

She knows they’re the same group – the school is maybe not considered that small, but there are only seven years and four houses and she is a genius.

She feels a spike of unease but pushes it down and continues on her way. Surely they wouldn’t…actually do anything, right? Her hand tightens on the strap of her bag as she forces herself not to rush. She at least has the advantage if they use magic – but she’s a little worried they won’t. They are much bigger than she is.

It’s funny – her parents had prepared her for bullies in the muggle world, but she’d been so young and so far ahead before she’d come here that she’d never actually had to deal with it. And she had to admit that she’d thought that in a world of magic they’d be above that sort of thing.

People are people, she knows, regardless of magic.

Her steps speed up a little despite her attempts not to, but they stay the same distance behind her.

And then she’s at the edge of the lake and they’re getting closer and maybe she’s over reacting but –

Suddenly there is a broad back between her and the group. She blinks a little, eyes fixed on the green argyle of the sweater vest in front of her.

She leans slightly to peer around him, eyes sweeping up to see if she can identify who it is from this angle. He turns his head slightly and she’s met with a smirk and a very attractive profile before he turns back to her pursuers.

They’ve stopped in their tracts and are staring at him with wide eyes.  One of them sees her looking around him and glares – she pulls back behind Ward and tightens her grip on her bag.

She’s never spoken to him, despite sharing three classes with the seventh year Slytherins, and she doesn’t know much about him. He’s pureblooded and everything that comes with that – rich and powerful and attractive. At least, to hear the gossip. She knows he has a little brother, because he was in her group, a small sickly boy called Thomas who was, she thinks, sorted into Hufflepuff.

The tension keeps rising as no one’s speaking and she starts to chew on a hangnail. Her hand is bleeding slightly before Ward finally speaks, and he sounds so friendly that she freezes – maybe she’s wrong and he’s not on her side?

“Ladies, can I be of assistance?” The sixth years giggle.

She shifts her weight and considers just how much trouble she would be in for knocking them all out.

“We just wanted to talk to our friend, Ward!” says one, chipper and friendly.

He tilts his head before turning it slightly so he can look at her over his shoulder. He arches an eyebrow at her and she bites her lip and shakes her head. He smiles and she feels her heart jump.

Oh dear, that’s inconvenient. She wishes she could shake herself and ask, ‘are you really that shallow?’ because there’s still a good chance this isn’t the rescue she thought it was.

He turns back around and shrugs, spreading his hands, “I’m afraid now’s not a good time – Simmons’ promised to help me with my potions homework.”

She stares incredulously at his back – he doesn’t have any books or even a bag! They’ll never believe it. But they giggle again and one of them even says, “Good luck in the game on Saturday!” and then they’re scampering off.

When he turns around he’s frowning at her and the tension that had flowed from her with their departure is suddenly back.

He gestures towards a bolder and she realizes that he does have his things spread out around it – including a potions book. She hesitates while he walks over and settles back to where he probably was when she came and disturbed him. “So, what did you do to them?” he asks.

She shifts her weight at the edge of his area and bites her lip before bursting out with, “I don’t know! They just started giggling and pointing and then they were following me and I didn’t – I mean, I know who they are but I’ve never done anything to them!”

He watches her, carefully, and she feels like he’s dissecting her with his eyes and putting her back together again and her heart is thumping painfully and she wants to run again. She drops her eyes and waits.

He sighs and when she chances a glance back up at him he’s staring up at the sky. “You should tell Morse about it – she’s your prefect and can keep an eye on you.” He runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head before piercing her with his gaze again. “With all your ambition you really should’ve been in Slytherin.”

The way he says it makes it sound like a compliment – not like the warning that she’d been given on the train that as a muggleborn she should avoid that house above all others. She finds herself pointing that out before she can stop herself.

He scoffs at her and leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “So? The only reason there are so many purebloods in Slytherin is because our parents push us to want to be successful – to prove ourselves. And at eleven we’re only parroting back what we’ve been told is the most important thing.” He shrugs. “Besides, there are muggleborns in Slytherin – and we protect our own.”

She considers him for a moment before deciding that her earlier dread was wrong – he’s a perfect pick for her first crush: too much older than her for anything to actually happen, unlikely to call her a slur, sweet, protective and a little bit dark and mysterious. She offers him a bright smile and says, “Well, thank you for protecting me anyways,” and strides off to find her own rock nearby to read at.

His laugh makes her smile widen and she’s satisfied with her choice. That’s one last thing to check off her to-do list before she graduates.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find my writing tumblr [here](http://capriciouswrites.tumblr.com/). <3 Prompts are always welcome! Come say hi!


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